Davidson Set to Take Furman in SoCon Semifinals

DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson men's soccer looks to advance to the SoCon Championship with a win against Furman Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Patriots Point Athletics Complex in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

“Davidson and Furman share a long history and rich rivalry,” said Davidson head coach Matt Spear. “I am sure that many alumni are savoring the matchup.

“In these types of tournament matches, there may be fewer chances to score so the winning team will be composed and execute. But equally important is a team's chemistry, internal leadership and spirit.”

No. 1 seed UNCG (10-5-4, 4-1-2) will take on No. 4 seed Appalachian State (8-7-3, 4-2-1) in Friday's first semifinal, beginning at 5 p.m. That match will be followed by the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. as second-seeded Furman (9-6-4, 4-1-2) battles No. 6 seed Davidson (7-6-6, 1-3-3).

Davidson was the only road team to win in the first round, avenging a regular season loss to conference co-champion College of Charleston by taking a 3-1 victory. The Wildcats' last tournament run came in 2005 when they fell to UNCG in the championship match.

UNCG enters the weekend on a nine-match unbeaten streak, going 6-0-3 over that stretch and claiming a share of the SoCon regular season title with Furman and College of Charleston. The Spartans topped Georgia Southern, 2-1 in overtime, to advance to the tournament and claimed a 3-0 win over Appalachian State in regular season.

Appalachian State earned a berth in the semifinals following a 1-0 quarterfinal win over Elon last Saturday in Boone. ASU's semifinal appearance is its first since 2006.

Furman, after losing in the quarterfinals the past two seasons following its 2007 championship, returns to the league's final four after edging Wofford, 1-0 in double overtime, on Sunday night.

The championship match will pit the semifinal winners Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.

All three matches will be video-streamed through SoCon TV, the league's web-streaming platform. Fans can purchase a single-day pass for $6.95 or the entire tournament for $12.95. Visit SoConSports.com for ordering information.

The winner of the tournament will earn the Southern Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship. The NCAA selection show will air Monday, Nov. 15 on ESPNU at 4:30 p.m. with first round matches slated for Thursday, Nov. 18.

Scouting the Wildcats: All-SoCon selection MF Alex Caskey leads the team in points with 17 (6g, 5a) ... F Mark Millard follows with seven goals and two assists ... F Yannick Pilgrim is third on the team in scoring (10 pts on 3g 4a) despite playing in just 12 games ... 11 different players have scored for Davidson so far this season ... GK Chip Sanders leads the conference with a career-best 84 saves and six shutouts this season ... he has a 1.20 goals against average and .778 save percentage.

“On the attacking side, I believe we have improved and we have been more fluid and sharper in the past four games,” said Spear. “This fervor to attack and hunger to go at teams is crucial.”

Scouting the Paladins: Furman is 4-1-2 this season in conference ... their one loss coming in a 1-0 game against UNCG Oct. 30 ... in their first-round match, the Paladins scored a goal in the second overtime to eliminate No. 7 seed Wofford ... All-SoCon selecetion Fabian Vorbe (4g 0a) leads the team in scoring with eight points ... All-SoCon selection Alec Kann has a .82 GAA and .778 save percentage ... MF/D Dane Roberts was also named to the All-SoCon team.

Last Meeting: GREENVILLE, S.C. (Oct. 12, 2010) - Davidson held Furman to just one shot on goal to earn their second consecutive shutout, but the Wildcats were unable to crack the Paladin defense as the Southern Conference men's soccer rivals played to a 0-0 draw Tuesday night in Stone Soccer Stadium. Chip Sanders earned his career-best fifth shutout of the season for Davidson without making a single save. Hunter Hayes turned away Furman's lone shot on goal off a corner kick in the 63rd minute. Alex Kann made four saves for Furman including one in the first overtime period.

“In our regular season game, we were very pleased to limit Furman's scoring opportunities and to earn an important shutout on the road,” said Spear. “We will need to be similarly disciplined and focused in this re-match as Furman is talented in every position and they also have great depth off the bench.”

Tournament History: Davidson's first-round win over College of Charleston advanced them to the semifinals for the first time since 2005. The 'Cats had won their first-round match in four-straight years (2002-05). The 2002 SoCon tournament was cancelled prior to Davidson's semifinal match due to inclement weather. Davidson won their semifinal match the next three years and won the 2003 championship game to advance to the NCAA tournament, but was felled in the championship matches in 2004 and 2005 by CofC (1-0 OT) and UNCG (2-1), respectively. All four tournaments were hosted at Blackbaud Stadium on Daniel Island, S.C., the current home of the USL's Charleston Battery.

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